Travel Agent - September 10, 2007 - (Page 50)

Hotels Continued from page 48 lives up to its Relais & Châteaux reputation (it’s the only one on the island). It’s impossible not to relax here, sitting on a chaise lounge on the expansive lawn that segues into a private beach, or at the end of the dock, cocktail in hand, watching the sun set. A beautiful spa with four waterview treatment rooms opened in May. Children under 12 are not accepted. And that’s a good thing, judging from the sophisticated dining experience at Topper’s, the hotel’s excellent restaurant. No kids I know (but many adults I do) would appreciate a tasting menu that might consist of Caspian and Siberian oestra and American sturgeon caviar followed by a trio of veal—cheeks, porterhouse and short rib ravioli—in bordelaise froth. Even Topper’s version of macaroni and cheese (which our waiter very correctly encouraged us to somehow make room for) is elegant: cave-aged gruyère, gouda and Pouligny chèvre baked with truffled rigatoni and topped with micro-greens. Excellent breads are baked on premises and Topper’s has an extremely-rarefor-Nantucket wine cellar with an even more exceptional 20,000-bottle collection (strong on white and red Burgundies among others) that has consistently won Wine Spectator’s prestigious Grand Award. To work all that off, guests can play tennis, hop on a bike or into a kayak or sailboat, pick up a fishing pole or join a tour of the nearby lighthouse—all activities provided by the resort. Two private beaches front the bay and the Atlantic respectively. Open May through October, the resort has a free hourly shuttle to the town, which is about a half hour away. There’s a concierge and also an advance planner—the hotel prefers to make reservations for restaurants, Jeep rentals and other activities well before guests arrive. So why wasn’t this one my favorite? The rooms are beautifully decorated (note that some are definitively feminine, with toile or floral décor) and comfortable (who wouldn’t love Pratesi sheets?), but they are small. Some don’t have bathtubs. There are 28 guest rooms in the inn and four cottages across the road. Of the rooms in the inn, the Coatue Suite is the top accommodation, as it’s the largest (although it’s one room with a sitting area) and has French doors that open onto a first-floor deck with water views. Of the Bayview queen rooms, 211 and 212 are smaller, as they have dormers. The better choice is a Deluxe Bayview, with king bed and no dormers. The cottages, which do not have water views, come in various layouts and have either one or two bedrooms. Note that the Hallover Suite has two bedrooms, one bath and an outdoor deck but no living room. The Cottages at the Boat Basin A unique option is to stay right in the middle of Nantucket’s busy harbor, at the end of a wharf. There are 24 one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages that all have kitchens and sleeper couches, and of course, water views. The larger ones have separate dining and living rooms; studios are also available. Two with a prime location at the end of the wharf facing straight out to the harbor are Kittiwake, which has one queen bedroom and one with two twins, a deck and one and a half baths; and John Jay, which has a queen bedroom upstairs and deck downstairs (opposite of Kittiwake). Not luxurious, but comfortable and Continued on page 52 Guest rooms at the Wauwinet (below left) are charming but small; The Cottages at the Boat Basin are especially suited to families and groups who want to be on the water 50 TravelAgent September 10, 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 10, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Agenda: Fam Trips, Calendar of Events, Deal of the Week South America Rising: COVER STORY EUROPE: Undiscovered Croatia PACIFIC/ASIA: Chiang Mai: Hotspot of Northern Thailand LAS VEGAS: Las Vegas’ Inside Man Las Vegas News & Notes Las Vegas: The New Frontier PACIFIC NORTHWEST: A Gem on Oregon’s Central Coast FLORIDA: Hyatt Regency Miami Spruces Up Ensemble Update Agent Outlook: Cruising Today Nantucket Island Resorts Classified Marketplace Home-Based Travel Expo Update Advertisers’ Information People & Places Thailand Planner

Travel Agent - September 10, 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.